


Avatar: Era of Izuku, Book 2: Fire

by OP_Taipan



Series: Avatar: Era of Izuku [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Animal Transformation, Avatar Midoriya Izuku, Badgermole, Earthbending, F/M, Firebending, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 13:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30022158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OP_Taipan/pseuds/OP_Taipan
Summary: A few months have passed since the incident in summer and things were actually looking up for Izuku.He got another pet, a new friend, and his father was about to visit for the holidays after not being home for almost five months.And then the universe decided that things were going too well and promptly dropped the biggest bombshell possible on the eight-year-old's life.Entrusted with a responsibility he has no idea how to fulfill nor the confidence to think himself worthy of it, Izuku will be forced to confront many obstacles on his road to Avatar-hood. From new enemies and struggles to the scars left on him from time's past.
Relationships: Jirou Kyouka & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Hisashi & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Hisashi/Midoriya Inko, Midoriya Inko & Midoriya Izuku
Series: Avatar: Era of Izuku [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878184
Comments: 10
Kudos: 46





	Avatar: Era of Izuku, Book 2: Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all have no idea how long I've been waiting for this (actually you do, but it's more dramatic if I say it like this).
> 
> Book 2 is finally here and things are going to be kicked into high gear!
> 
> Sorry to disappoint all of you who wanted me to get to U.A already, but I don't plan on doing that yet. At this point, I can't just do a time skip from where we left off, for obvious reasons.
> 
> In other news, Era of Izuku now has a discord server!
> 
> I post there updates about my stories along with a progress report of where I'm at in terms of publishing the next chapters. I'll also answer any question that's been asked on the server and there's even a channel filled with illustrations made by Cyber-RK18 (Or anyone else who wants to publish their art).
> 
> Link: https://discord.gg/2YXKczau
> 
> Disclaimer:
> 
> This work of fan-fiction was created out of appreciation towards the source material.
> 
> I don't get any sort of monetary gain from writing this fic and it is solely done as a hobby and the want to share my creative vision with others.
> 
> I don't own anything except for any characters that I have created.
> 
> 'Boku no Hero Academia' is owned by Shueisha, studio Bones, Shonen Jump, Viz Media, Funimation, and Kohei Horikoshi.
> 
> 'Avatar the Last Airbender' and 'Avatar the Legend of Korra' are owned by Vaicon, Nickelodeon, Brian Konietzko, and Michael Dante Dimartino.
> 
> Please support the official releases of all these amazing series.
> 
> And as always, thanks for the beta-read Cyber-RK18 (He changed his name).

**火**

BOOK TWO:

**FIRE**

CHAPTER ONE:

**THE WINTER SOLSTICE**

* * *

"All right, I think that's taken care of!" A young woman with flowing dark-green hair said in a chirp tone. The woman stepped out of a small clothing store, its automatic doors closing behind her with a soft thwack, "Let's go on, sweetie!"

"K, Mom!" A higher-pitched voice called back, belonging to a young boy with dark curly hair who shared quite the resemblance with his mother.

The woman, per the standard of the season, wore a rather warm set of clothing. A bright pink close-knit sweater covered her upper body while her legs were protected by thick dark blue trousers. Her snow-white winter coat was currently tied around her waist; as she had no need of it in the climate-controlled building.

Unlike her, the boy still wore his coat; a colorful puffer coat that reached past his waist and was colored a bright red, blue, white, and yellow. The coat appeared a bit big on him, making the kid look as if he was a few kilograms heavier than he actually was, especially in the stomach area.

The mother, who was also named Inko, held a paper bag in one hand as she took her son's in the other, proceeding to go further into Gahenn mall.

The mall was not anything unique per se. It couldn't possibly compare to the grand Kiyashi ward mall or something like that; but for the residents of the area, it proved to be quite enough.

It was a rather small complex, about the size of Izuku's school. Three floors, a ground floor, and two higher ones that were built as mezzanines were what made up the structure's interior. As per tradition, the mall was currently decorated with the festive colors of Christmas as the holiday was fast approaching. Fairy lights were tied around anywhere one can look, around the railings of the second and third floor, or hanging in the air as mobiles. Wreaths were hanged on every empty spot on any wall and door, their green leaves accentuated by colorful ribbons and flowers. A large Christmas tree was proudly positioned in the mall's center, drawing attention to it with colorful fairy lights, garlands, and baubles.

The shops in the mall didn't skip skimp out on decorations either, each eager to make a better buck thanks to the holidays. No matter what store the mother and son passed, they could immediately spot large signs stating the different sales and discounts the shops offered to customers. Some even went the extra mile by selling Christmas-themed goods. The candy store to their left offered an impressive array of green, red, and white candies. The bakery to their right offered a wide variety of Christmas cakes. And the toy store near the Christmas tree had won Inko's son's attention by having a sale of limited-edition Christmas-themed hero figurines.

The family moved along with the natural flow of customers that were busy doing their own Christmas shopping, taking care not to ram into them. Inko held her son's hand a bit tighter than usual, careful as to not lose him in the crowd.

"I didn't think finding a gift for your dad would take this long…" Inko murmured to her son as she glanced at the time on her phone, the paper bag held temporarily under her armpit, "At this rate, we won't get home before sundown…"

Her son, who also answered to the name Izuku, hummed in response, his gaze still lingering on the toy store with an avaricious glint in his eyes. "Speaking of gifts," He suddenly said, "Do you think I should find something for Chima and Mimi?"

Unnoticed by the mother, the bulge in Izuku's coat, above where his stomach is, wobbled for a second.

"Sorry sweetie," Inko replied with an apologetic tone, "But we need to finish shopping for what we need first… I'm not sure we got enough time for that today…"

 _'Besides…'_ The mother thought to herself, trying and failing to ignore her son slumping his shoulders in disappointment, _I don't think it will be smart to spend too much money now… things are still too uncertain to start splurging…'_

The two continued to walk past various shops in silence; from bakeries, bookstores, clothing shops, and such.

But it was when they passed by the greengrocer that the silence was broken.

 _"Hehehe… Stop it!"_ Izuku whispered with a stifled voice, letting go of his mother's hand.

Inko, who felt the lack of her son's warm hand, turned around to look at him, only to have her eyes bulge.

At first glance, Izuku appeared to be fighting an invisible force. The boy dug his heels to the ground to stabilize himself while holding a hand over his mouth to curb an endless wave of small giggles.

With the other hand, he struggled against the not-so-invisible force. The bulge on his stomach that his coat created seemed ready to tear a hole in the fabric and break loose. It thrashed around from left to right, slowly climbing up from his stomach upwards, only going higher and higher.

"Really, Izuku?" Inko, who figure out what was going on, groaned into her hand, "You brought **her** here?"

Her son had the audacity to only giggle in response as the bulge finally reached his chest and something small and hairy poked out of his coat's collar.

It was the head of a rabbit.

 _'I should've known he would bring her here…'_ The mother thought in exasperation. "Izuku, what did I say when we left home?"

Izuku, who was still busy trying to shove Mimi's head back into his coat like it would solve everything, looked away from his mother. "Not to bring Mimi with me…"

Inko crossed her arms, "And what did you do?"

"Brought Mimi with me…" The boy had given up on trying to hide Mimi, letting her eye the carrots the greengrocer was selling the same way he looked at the toy store earlier.

"What am I going to do with you?" Inko huffed, her only comfort being the fact her son looked somewhat ashamed.

"To be fair," A voice called out, a young girl's that was familiar to them both, "At this point, it's probably a habit of his, so there's not much you can do, Midoriya-san."

Izuku turned to the source of the voice, "J-Jirou-san?! What are you doing here?"

True to his words the entirety of the Jirou family was now walking towards them, all three dressed in their winter wear just like them.

At their lead was their youngest. A girl about Izuku's age, with purple hair that reached her chin. Her outfit consisted of black pants and a magenta shirt, coated by a black jacket. A purple scarf was also draped around her neck, which she used to tuck her ear-jacks into to keep warm.

"Doing Christmas shopping, obviously." The girl replied with a teasing smile.

"Oh! Jirou-san, what a surprise!" Inko called, happy to see the family, "It's been so long!"

"It has only been two weeks, Midoriya-san." Jirou's mother, Mika, replied with a fond smile to her relatively new friend.

Much like her daughter, Jirou Mika also sported purple as her hair color, though hers was styled a bit shorter. Her choice of clothing was also slightly different, as she wore a lavender shearling coat coupled with beige trousers.

"Two weeks is a long time," Izuku interjected, getting an agreeing nod from his friend.

"For you two maybe," Jirou's dad, Kyotoku, chuckled as he looked at them both with triangular black eyes. "For us adults… not so much."

"How does that make any sense? Two weeks are two weeks." His daughter questioned him; her brow raised.

"You'll know when you're older" Was his only reply, the hints of dejection in his voice.

Meanwhile, the two mothers were busy with their own conversation, "In any case, Midoriya-san, it's still good to see you," One matriarch spoke to another, ignoring her husband and the kids as they kept arguing over how long a week was, "You got everything you needed?"

"Not yet." Inko admitted, "I still need to get some Wakame **[1]** for Izuku."

"Wakame?" Mika questioned, "This isn't a traditional thing to eat on Christmas…"

Inko chuckled, "I know. But whenever it gets cold out Izuku gets some weird craving for it… I can't really explain it."

"That's a rather weird and specific habit…" Mika murmured, before chuckling "Then again, it is your son we're talking about. Wouldn't be the first time."

She had a point. Her interaction with the kid was usually minimal, limited to only the times he would come over to their house. But that was definitely enough to determine the boy had his fair share of eccentricities.

"You know… speaking of habits…" Inko suddenly remembered something. She turned back to the kids who were currently busy window shopping with Mika's husband, "Jir-Urrh… Kyoka-chan!" Inko called, swiftly getting the girl's attention. "What did you mean when you said my son has a habit of bringing his rabbit with him?"

Upon hearing the question, Izuku froze. He made eye contact with Kyoka, silently shaking his head, pleading her to not say anything.

His begging proved to be insufficient, however, as Kyoka just chuckled and said, "Oh that? Midoriya-kun just has a habit of bringing Mimi to school with him. Though, to be fair, most of the time it's just her tagging along without him noticing."

Inko narrowed her eyes at her son and his rabbit (whose head still poked through his collar) upon hearing that.

Izuku raised his hands in the air in a defensive gesture, "In my defense, Mimi doesn't leave my bag when I'm at school."

Unfortunately for Izuku, the excuse didn't stop Inko from sending him a message with her mother telepathy, 'We'll talk about it when we get home.'

"A-anyways…" Izuku stammered, racking his mind for a conversation changer, specifically one that would shift the focus away from him, "Ugghhh… Oh! Mom! Did you hear that Jirou-san was in the performing arts showcase at school last week? She was playing the guitar!"

"Huh?" The purple-haired girl froze in place, her cheeks growing a tad redder, "What?"

"Really?!" Inko clasped her hands together, a big and joyful smile on her face. "That's wonderful! How did it go?"

"I-i-it was nothing, really…!" Kyoka stammered, instinctively trying to make herself smaller. "I-it was just a school thing; it was nothing serious…"

Izuku begged to differ, "But you were so cool there!" He argued, "None of the other kids was anywhere near as good as you were!"

Kyoka's father nodded along, "The kid's right. None of them had anything on you! You played that guitar like an angel…~" the man cooed, "That's daddy's little prodigy…~," he said with a doting smile.

"S-stop it…" Kyoka whined, trying to hide within her own arms.

"Leave the girl alone, Hun." Mika sighed, "She's obviously flustered."

"What's the harm in complementing talent?" The man questioned, "I tell you, one day she'll be a better musician than the both of us **combined** if she really wants it. She needs to get used to the praise."

"Urrrggghhh…" Kyoka appeared as if she wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment, even if it meant letting the earth swallow her whole. Turning away from her parents, she gripped the arm of the kid who can actually make that wish happen before towing him away, "C'mon, let's go look at that toy store…"

"Huh? Hey!" Izuku called as he was dragged away by the girl, "At least let me walk by myself!"

The two mothers chuckled at the display, specifically at Izuku who kept on stumbling as Kyoka was too distracted by getting away to let him go.

The father, on the other hand, shook his head in disapproval. "I'm not sure that I like it…the two of them together all the time like that…" He said, glaring at Izuku as he and his daughter looked at the various hero figurines the store had on display in wonder.

His wife rolled her eyes, "Are you seriously trying to act like the stereotypical overprotective dad? Don't you think it's a bit cliché? Even for you?"

"Gah!" Kyotoku's face contorted in betrayal, "Can't a guy act like a good, concerned parent?"

"They're **eight** , Kyotoku." Mika responded in a deadpanned tone, "The closest thing they ever saw that could be considered romantic is their parents kissing. How you inferred that just because they spend time together there have to be some romantic feelings involved is beyond me."

Inko nodded in agreement, leaving Kyotoku slumped and with no one to back him up.

Mika didn't even spare a glance to her skulking husband, "Moving on from that… how things have been for you, Midoriya-san?"

"Oh, you know… nothing much," Inko said, "Izuku spends more time at home now that it's winter, so I can't really complain…" the woman chuckled.

"That's good to hear, at least that way he can get into trouble less." Mika agreed, knowing how disaster-prone the kid was when left by himself. _'Here goes nothing…'_ Mika took a deep breath, psyching herself up for her next question, "But, what about Hisashi-san?"

The smile soon vanished from Inko's face, replaced with a strained imitation of one, "Hisashi? He's doing fine! He'll come home in a few days for the winter Holidays!"

"You don't have to pretend, Midoriya-san." Kyotoku sighed, joining the conversation, "We know about GG Enterprises, it was all over the news."

GG Enterprises, the company Hisashi Midoriya worked for the past seven years. The same company that was secretly headed by a villain ever since its founding. Of course, Hisashi, much like most of the workforce, had no idea of their CEO and founder's dealing in the underworld, but that's not to say his arrest hadn't an impact on their lives. GG Enterprises' CEO was the company's face and image, with his arrest, the image of the company was also hit hard. Not to mention the fact the CEO used the company's wealth to aid his villainous ventures was not helping things, either.

Inko sighed, she should've known the subject would pop up somewhere, "I'm scared." The woman confessed, "Every day when I look at the news, I see the company's share values drop more and more. Analysts are already predicting a firing wave on the way, and if Hisashi loses his job then…"

Inko shook her head, trying to rid the thought of her head.

"No wonder you're scared…" Mika sighed, patting Inko's shoulder in reassurance, "Just know that I and Kyotoku are here if you need us. We can even chime in if you need it." She told the greenette woman.

"N-no-!" Inko denied, her arms flailing, "This is me and Hisashi's problem, you shouldn't be obliged to do this!"

"Who said anything about being obliged to do anything?" Kyotoku said, a grin on his face, "We'll help you if you need it because you're our friend, no other reason."

The two Jirou's recoiled back when Inko clasped her hands together and fat tears built up in her eyes, "W-w-what, happened? D-did we say something wrong?" Kyotoku stammered, startled from the response.

In response to the question, the two Jirou's felt Inko surprisingly strong arms tackled them into a hug, "You two are just wonderful people!" She cried up a fountain.

"What is your mom doing?" Kyoka asked Izuku when she looked back at the commotion, just one of the many who did so.

The boy shifted his gaze from the All-Might figurine that was dressed as Santa to look back at the group of parents, "Oh. Yeah, she does this sometimes. It's normal." The boy said in nonchalance before returning to admire the figurine.

Kyoka sweatdropped, _'What a family of weirdos_. _'_

* * *

The playful chime of the school bell resounded throughout Aldera elementary, signaling to all its students the end of recess.

Groaning in annoyance, the kids whose game was cut short joined the hordes of other students who were rushing in into the building. Inside, a blue river of uniform-wearing kids flowed through the hallways, splitting off in T-junctions and feeding off into the different classrooms.

Amongst all those students were the duo of Midoriya Izuku and Jirou Kyoka, both of whom walked with the flow of the students. Even though neither of the two was tall enough to see past the students in front of them, they both luckily knew where they had to go. They took lefts and right when needed, climbed up to the second floor, and soon found the door to their homeroom.

They bid farewell to the hustle and bustle of the hallways and entered the slightly quieter classroom, sighing in relief that the teacher was not yet there.

It was the standard classroom they both had already gotten used to. Twenty seats at the back, teacher's desk and board at the front, and a couple of decorations the class made at the beginning of the school year hanging on the walls.

They both sat at their usual spots, Midoriya by the window and Kyoka to his right; both now watching the other students trickling inside as they waited for the lesson to start. They sat in silence, Izuku supporting his head with his arm while Jirou absent-mindedly played with her jacks to pass the time, neither too excited about the science class that would come soon.

It took about two minutes for all the students to arrive at the classroom; and, like magic, the moment the last student sat at his desk was the exact same the teacher opened the door with her usual smile.

"Good Morning, class!" The young woman called, hauling with her a large tote bag that she placed on her desk.

Ever since Midoriya and Kyoka met the woman, she hadn't changed much, save for the wedding ring on her left ring finger. Even her sense of fashion remained the same, today demonstrated by a mint-green T-shirt with the simple message 'T-shirt' written on the front.

 **"Good morning, Yukimura-sensei!"** The class replied together, unphased at the unusual fashion choices they became accustomed to over the time they knew her.

The homeroom teacher of now class 2-1 stood before her class and clapped her hands together, "Alright, class, today I got a special lesson for you!"

From somewhere around the back, a groan was heard which caused all the students to turn around to look for its source. Luckily for the culprit, he/she managed to act inconspicuously enough so that no one figured out it was them.

Except for the teacher.

"Now, with hopefully no more interruptions," She gave the culprit a knowing smirk and a wink before continuing, "Let's start the lesson with a question. Does anyone know what today is?"

The students remained quiet, some even raising their brows at the unexpected question. _'That's a weird question… it's obvious there's a catch here…'_ Kyoka thought to herself.

Hesitantly one of the students raised their chubby arm. He was a rather plumb boy, with a body that barely fit in his blue uniform jacket. His most noticeable feature by far was the giant red wings on his back, definitely more eye-catching than his round face or shaven head.

Yukimura-sensei pointed at the kid, giving him permission to speak, "Yes? Kairo-kun?".

"Humm…" Kairo Tsubasa stuttered out, a bead of sweat on his forehead, "It's Friday, isn't it?"

Both Kyoka and a certain ash-blonde rolled their eyes and/or snickered at the dumb answer, accompanied by a few others from the class. On his part, Midoriya didn't laugh at the kid, merely gave him a sympathetic glance.

"Well, you are not wrong…" Yukimura-sensei told the moping kid, " But that was not what I meant…" The woman sweatdropped, _'I guess it's on me for asking this question to second graders…'_.

Yukimura-sensei shook her head, "Let's try something else. Has any of you ever heard of the solstice?"

The only reply the teacher got from the class was a dead silence.

"I see…" The teacher murmured, "Well, I guess that means we have to start from the… well, start."

Reaching into the bag she brought with her, Yukimura-sensei pulled out two things: A globe and a flashlight. "I need someone to help me with this, do I have any volunteers?"

Immediately, multiple hands shot up in the air, each belonging to a student wanting to be picked.

"Let's see…" Yukimura-sensei said, tapping her chin in thought, _'Who hadn't participated in class lately?'_

"Bakugou-kun!" Bakugou Katsuki, otherwise known as 'Kacchan' by the likes of Midoriya, squinted sharp ruby eyes when he was called by name, "Why don't you come and help me?"

"Fine." The ash-blonde got out of his seat and made his way to the front of the class, _'I didn't even raise my hand!'_ He thought in annoyance, _'Why bother asking if she's gonna pick me anyway?!'_

He reached the front of the class, taking the offered flashlight from his teacher, "Just stay where you are and keep pointing the flashlight at the globe, okay?"

The kid nodded, signaling his understanding.

Yukimura-sensei then took a couple of steps away from the boy and held the globe in front of her so the flashlight would bask it.

"Alright," She said, beginning the lesson, "Do you all remember what we learned last month? About how the earth creates the day and night by spinning around itself?"

 **"Yes, sensei!"** The class chorused.

"Good," Yukimura-sensei nodded, "But, what I didn't tell you, was that it spins around itself in an angle." As she explained, she tilted the globe, bringing the northern pole closer to herself. "The axis of the spin is fixed, so it never changes." The teacher began to walk in a circle around Bakugou, all the while making sure the globe's tilt was preserved. "That way, even as the earth spins around the sun, the earth's poles point in the same general direction."

"And because of that," the teacher stopped once she made a half rotation around her student, "We have seasons on earth."

"Sensei!" One of the kids raised her hand, wanting to ask a question, "How does the earth's tilt create seasons? It doesn't make sense."

Several agreeing murmurs came from other students in the room.

"Good question, Murasa-san!" Yukimura-sensei praised before she gestured to the globe, "Please observe," the teacher brushed her hand over the side of the globe that was illuminated, "This entire side has day now right? But do you all notice that parts of the side now facing the 'sun' are a bit closer to it than others?"

The kids squinted their eyes to look at the globe, noticing that its northern half was a bit closer than the southern, and nodding their heads.

"Good. Now, going by logic, I think that we all agree that the side that's closer to the sun is going to be a bit hotter than the one who is further away, right?" The students nodded again, some already seeing where this was going, "That's how seasons work. The side that's closer to the sun" Yukimura-sensei pointed to the northern half, "has summer, while the one that's further," She pointed to the southern half, "Has winter."

"And now…" Yukimura-sensei completed the rotation she began and stopped where she started it, "The northern side is further, so we have winter here, while the southern side enjoys summer."

 _"That's kinda cool…"_ Kyoka murmured to Izuku but didn't receive an answer, _'That's weird, usually he whispers back…'_

Yukimura-sensei continued with the lecture, "Now, as we said earlier, the earth's axis is locked. That means that the two halves of the planet are not always the closest or furthest they can be from the sun." To emphasize, the teacher moved a bit in her orbit, showing that while the northern half that currently had winter got closer and the summer half got a bit further, the seasons still haven't changed.

Yukimura-sensei returned to where she started, with the north pole the furthest it can be from the sun, "The solstice is in fact what we call the day the earth reaches one of those extremes. In our case, today is the winter solstice in Japan, whilst in… let's say Australia… they have their summer solstice."

"In other words," the teacher concluded, "You could say that the solstice is the 'peak' of the season."

"Any questions?" Yukimura-sensei asked after gesturing to Bakugou that he can return to his seat. Multiple hands shot up at the same time, each belonging to a student wanting to ask something.

Yukimura-sensei made herself busy by answering questions, giving Kyoka the opportunity to try to talk to her friend. Specifically, dissing him for ignoring her, _"Hey, Midoriya-kun!"_ She whispered to the boy, _"You're supposed to answer me when I talk to you!"_.

The boy's reply, however, was to continue to ignore her.

 _"Are you kidding me?!"_ She whispered/yelled, getting the attention of one ash-blonde student.

Midoriya remained silent, not moving a muscle as he looked out the window. And while neither Kyoka nor Bakugou could see it, the boy's eyes were glossed over as he stared into empty space.

That's when the girl began to worry. _"Hey? Midoriya-kun?"_ Kyoka poked the boy with her jacks, "Hello? Earth to Midoriya Izuku? You in there?", and when that failed, she proceeded to knock on his scalp with her knuckle.

That did the trick.

"Woh!" Izuku yelped in surprise, jumping back as his eyes returned to focus and blinked rapidly. The poor boy flailed his hands in the air, losing his balance and falling off his chair. He hit the classroom's floor face-first, his body now in a knee-chest position.

Immediately the entire class burst into laughter at the display of clumsiness, sans for a worried Kyoka and a scoffing Bakugou.

"Is everything alright, Midoriya-kun?" The boy, who held his throbbing face while writhing on the floor, heard his teacher ask from the classroom's front, a worrying hint in her tone.

"Y-y-yeah! I-I'm fine!" He replied, climbing up his desk and sitting in his seat with a now beet-red face.

 _'What the heck was that?'_ Kyoka wondered as she spared one final look at her friend before Yukimura-sensei resumed the lesson.

* * *

"Are they still staring?" A downtrodden Izuku asked as he walked through the schoolyard and towards the gate, trying to hide beneath the hood of his coat.

Around him, multiple groups of kids huddled together and whispered to each other, smirking at him, and chuckling as he passed. The whispers were faint and almost unintelligible, but the boy already knew they were talking about what happened earlier in science class.

Walking next to him, Jirou appeared far less troubled by the stares, "Yes, but you shouldn't worry about it. So you fell on your face in front of the whole class, so what? Accidents happen."

"They don't happen so often they start calling you 'Disaster-Deku', do they?" The greenette grumbled.

"Okay… no…" the girl admitted, "I can't deny you're the most disaster-prone person I have ever met."

She wasn't lying. Whenever the boy was around things went wrong, that's was just a fact. From objects falling to the floor to pieces of machinery flaring to life when he walks by them, the kid appeared to be responsible for a fair share of calamities. Add to that his general clumsiness and you got yourself a winning combination.

They passed through the gate, now walking on the streets as the crowds of students began to dwindle.

"Bus seriously, what happened back there?", Jirou questioned once they gained enough distance from the school, "You kinda freaked me out for a second."

"I'm just as clueless as you are," Izuku answered, rubbing his scraped cheek in care, "I was just looking out the window for a second, and next thing I know you knock on my head…" The boy paused for a few seconds, "…And then I fell on my face."

"Hmm…" The girl hummed, "That's a new level of creepy… even for you."

"C-creepy?!" Izuku spluttered.

Jirou chuckled at the reaction, causing Izuku to look away from her, red-faced and pouting.

The two continued on their way, soon entering the local park that served as their private loitering grounds. They made their way along the beaten path, walking off it once they needed to, and proceeded to walk through the tall grass and shrubbery to the sounds of ruffling leaves.

Jirou and Izuku swatted away the foliage that interrupted their field of vision, getting a glimpse of their destination. It was a clearing of sorts, surrounded by thick flora and nestled at the foot of a small hill. Unlike the unruly vegetation that hid the spot from prying eyes, the greenery in the clearing was minimal. The soft and tall grass was what covered the ground, sometimes obstructed by stray shards of rock. A large entryway was carved into the side of the hill, leading deep underground.

But all those details paled in comparison to the most eye-catching thing in the clearing. A giant Badger-monster the size of a truck was the one holding that title, currently laying on the ground as if waiting for someone.

"Chima!" Izuku called in joy, throwing his backpack to the side, and tackling the large beast into a hug. The Badgermole purred at the contact, breaking the hug to give the boy a giant lick on the face.

"Hehehe…" Izuku giggled, proceeding to scratch Chima under the chin.

"I can't believe I somehow got used to this…" Jirou murmured, watching the two as Mimi crawled out of Izuku's discarded backpack.

The rabbit grouched, getting Izuku's attention, before glaring at him.

"Sorry, Mimi…" The boy apologized, rubbing his nape, "I forgot you were in there."

Mimi huffed, hopping onto Chima's head before laying down and closing her eyes for a nap.

The Badgermole himself soon laid down again under the shade of a large evergreen tree, resting his head on one of his paws.

Izuku sat down against Chima's stomach, soon joined by Jirou. Both got their school supplies out, setting them down on the grass and opening them. "Do you want to start with arithmetic or Japanese?" Izuku asked, getting a pen out of his bag.

"Japanese." Jirou replied, "I think that will be a good start before the arithmetic."

The boy nodded and opened his notebook.

* * *

Even in an urban jungle like Musutafu, one could still expect to encounter glimpses of traditional architecture instead of boring, rectangular cement buildings; so long as its owner had enough money.

Such was the case for the home of perhaps Musutafu's most notorious family: the Todoroki's.

Of course, the public didn't know this was where the family lived, for security reasons. But whomever passed by couldn't deny the fact the residents definitely had money to spare.

It was a magnificent abode. A traditional two-story house with a wooden framing and greyish-blue clay tiled roof. Beautiful gardens filled with evergreen trees and stone walkways surrounded the building, giving a sense of serenity and tranquility that was further enhanced by the large fence surrounding the entire compound. In the building's center, sat an alcove of sorts, a garden surrounded entirely by the house. The two were connected via wooden verandas called engawa, allowing only the residents to gaze into the garden's beauty.

One of those residents, the house's master, was currently walking through those verandas, a perpetual scowl on his face.

He was a large man, the kind who can make a professional bodybuilder look like a wimp. His sturdy and bulky muscles struggled to be contained inside the gray peacoat he was wearing, much like his leather boots that were clanking against the wooden floor. As usual, his dark crimson hair was spiked up against his head, not a stray strand blocking his sharp turquoise eyes.

The man's name was Todoroki Enji, otherwise known as Japan's No. 2 pro hero: Endeavor.

 _'He's still not using his fire…'_ The man thought in irritation, every step he took taking him further from the training room.

The man huffed, taking in the cold winter air into his lung, noticing with it the slight tinge of smoke. Turning his head to the source of the scent, he found himself staring into the courtyard.

Specifically, staring at the one responsible for the smoke.

He was a twelve-year-old boy, a rather short one at that. Unruly crimson hair, the same shade as Enji's, fell on his face in uneven bangs, covering vibrant turquoise eyes.

His name was Todoroki Touya, Enji's son.

Touya sat against a large tree on the lawn, the only living soul there, occupying himself by sending small tufts of fire into the air.

 _"Well, this is boring,"_ the boy muttered in apathy, not noticing his father, and sending another burst of scarlet fire into the air. A playful grin curved its way up Touya's face as an idea formed in his mind, _"Guess I can kick it up a notch… Not like anyone's here to see me…"_

The kid stood up and dusted himself, taking a few steps away from the tree just to be safe.

Touya raised a single fist, lighting it up on fire, grinning at the fire in mischief. He slowly began to put more power into the fire, watching in delight as the flame only grew bigger and bigger.

"Now that's more like it!" Touya grinned, the flame's red light reflected in his eyes. His entire arm was now engulfed in fire, a soft trail of smoke rising from it.

The teen chuckled to himself as he thrust his arm forward and a blast of fire shot into the air. The flame quickly dissipated, leaving behind hot cinders to waft in the wind.

Touya did not stop there, sending another blast of fire, bigger than the first. He shot more and more blasts into the air in quick secession, thrilled and exhilarated at the chance to let loose.

From behind the boy, Enji found himself watching the display with a great amount of interest, as his son was showcasing a level of power he didn't even achieve when he was his age.

"Here we go!" Touya yelled in excitement. The kid joined both of his hands together, letting fire coat his forearms like a second skin. Touya thrust his hands into the sky, sending forth a torrent of fire that was so powerful it didn't even **need** the sunset's help in painting the courtyard orange. He grinned against the gust the flames created, letting it ruffle his hair as its heat pushed back the winter chill.

The fire stream soon died down, leaving the only sound in the courtyard to be Touya's hard panting.

Well, that and the sound of clapping.

Touya's heart dropped, _'Shit!'_ He cursed, dreading the punishment he's going to face, _'Someone saw me!'_

The boy slowly turned around to face whom he thought to be his and his sibling's caretaker, only to have his jaw hit the floor when he saw who it really was. Touya stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the face of his father with plate-sized eyes.

"Well done, Touya." Enji grinned down at his son, making his bulging eyes grow even wider, "Well done."

* * *

"And the answer is… 184…" Jirou murmured to Izuku, her pencil stroking the paper of her notebook.

"There!" the boy declared in delight, "All finished!"

The greenette wasted not another moment before stuffing his school supplies into his bag, getting up, and then stretching. The boy stifled a yawn as he did so, the hour or so the two spent there getting to him, "Finally! We're done!"

"You can say that again," Jirou said. Unlike Izuku, Jirou remained seated against Chima. The girl stuffed her school supplies back into her bag before procuring from it something else. It was a purple notebook, its binding decorated with colorful stickers of musical notes and instruments.

"You had a moment of inspiration?" Izuku smiled down at her as he bounced on the balls of his feet, trying to release all the pent-up energy he was storing for an hour.

The girl nodded, "Something like that…" she confirmed as she opened the notebook. She browsed through the pages, looking for a blank space to work with amongst a sea of already written musical notes. She let out a little hum once she found it, leaning further into Chima's stomach, and beginning to work.

And with that, Jirou was plunged into her own world, filled with nothing but sounds for her to play around with, and compose whatever it is she wished.

Unfortunately for Izuku, he was still very much in the real world.

He stopped bouncing in place, now no longer satisfied with it.

 _'Now what do I do?'_ He asked himself. He looked upwards at the sky. The sun was low on the horizon, painting the heavens a beautiful apricot. _'I still have a while before I have to go home…'_ He thought before his gaze shifted to his friend.

Jirou was tapping her pencil against her notebook in a distinct rhythm, completely focused on her new creation. _'Knowing her, she might be at it for a while…'_ He then eyed Chima and Mimi, both soundly asleep and snoring, _'And those two are a no go…'_

A smirk began to form on Izuku's face, _'I guess that only leaves one option…'_

He turned away from the other three, striding on to stand in the clearing's middle. Tapping the ground once with his clothed foot, Izuku watched with a small sense of pride as about seven earthen columns burst out from the ground, each about a meter higher than him.

 _'Wait…'_ The boy squinted his eyes at the columns, _'Something's missing…'_

Izuku stepped up to one of them, beginning to circle the column while rubbing his chin in concentration. _'Hmmm… What if I…'_ Deciding to try something out, Izuku lowered the column back to the earth so that he would be level with it. Now able to reach where he wanted, he traced a finger over the stone that made up the pillar's tip, drawing on it a crude villainous face.

The boy nodded at his handy work before raising the pillar to its previous height, _'Perfect!'_

He drew those faces on all the pillars before he was satisfied, appearing way too proud of himself than he had any right to be.

 _'Now I'm ready.'_ The boy stretched, standing in front of the small cluster of pillars. He assumed one of his staring positions: his two fists clenched and tucked next to his waist, whilst his knees were spread out to lower his center of mass.

 _'Let's go!'_ Izuku brought a foot forward, stomping it on the ground. The boy was sent flying by an earth catapult, leaving behind a platform of raised earth.

The kid cocked back his fist whilst still airborne, closing in on his target. "Aaaaa!" Flesh met rock as Izuku found his mark, flying through the dummy like it was made of paper.

His fist struck the ground in a landing, leaving the boy crouched in a pose. Izuku wasted not a moment longer and already made his next move. He shot his left foot forward with a kick, erecting a protrusion of earth that impaled a second dummy.

"Hiya!" Izuku grunted, thrusting his arm against the protrusion, and sending it flying against another dummy.

The boy panted, trying to even out his breathing after the sequence was done. Looking forward, he still saw four more dummies to take down.

It was not over yet.

Izuku spread out his arms, his forearms parallel to the ground. He ground his teeth together as he raised both of his arms, plucking two boulders from the ground.

The boy crossed his arms over each other and brought them down, sending the boulders in the air, each smashing into a dummy and kicking up dust in the air.

He lunged at the dust cloud, emerging from the other side of it to confront another dummy. He gripped the dummy's face with his hands, his fingers digging into the stone. "Aaahhh!" With a mighty yell, the boy exerted his muscles and uprooted the entire statue from the earth.

Wielding the dummy like an oversized bat, the boy lounged at the last dummy. His grip on the weapon tightened as he made a 360 pivot to build up speed, slamming the two dummies into each other and destroying them both.

All the dummies were now gone, replaced by small earth shards that joined the rest of their kin on the grass.

Izuku huffed and puffed as he watched what remained of the dummies, a proud grin plastered on his face.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself there," Jirou called out from behind him.

The boy chuckled. "Hehe… yeah,"

He turned around to face her, finding half of the girl's attention on him while the rest was concentrated on her notebook. She even kept tapping on it with her pencil, the rhythm she's working on still playing out in her mind.

The ruckus he made also appeared to have awakened both Chima and Mimi, both now looking at him in disapproval.

"That wasn't your usual style," The girl commented, now fully focused back on the notebook, "This is the first time I think I ever saw you jump around like that in training."

The boy nodded, "Yeah, I was trying something new. I was thinking about it and figured out that my style is lacking in speed. I was trying to see if I can change it up a bit to solve that issue... but it kinda created another one... my quirk was a bit weaker with me moving around like that. And I also couldn't use my seismic sense all that well..." Izuku held his chin, lowering his gaze to look at his feet, "Though that might've been the shoes..."

"Mmm…" Jirou hummed, her brows raised in an impressed expression. "You sure put a lot of thought into your quirk, don't you… it feels like you come up with something new every week…"

Izuku smiled, "Thanks!" the boy had a glint in his eyes, "But I think it's only natural that I think about my quirk a lot. It's all for when I become a hero and I still have so much to learn! There's no such thing as getting prepared too early! Right?"

"I guess you're right…" Jirou murmured, lowering her notebook as she contemplated, "You know exactly what you want to do and you're already working for it…"The girl sighed, a somewhat downtrodden expression taking over her face. "…it must be nice to be like that…"

"Hum?" the greenette questioned, his brow raised in confusion, "What do you mean? You're also like that, aren't you?" He pressed a finger on his chin, recalling the past few months of their friendship, " I mean… you work on your music all the time, so don't you want to be a musician?"

Jirou averted her gaze away from Izuku, biting her bottom lip. "I… don't know…" She finally confessed.

"You… don't know…?" Izuku asked, puzzled.

"I-I don't know what I want to be…" She clarified, still looking away, "I-I mean… sure, I love music… but I still want to try other stuff, you know? Maybe I want to be a hero or something…? Being a hero sure does sound cool…"

Izuku didn't reply, Jirou taking it as a sign to continue.

"And people don't make that decision any easier, either…" the girl huffed, "My mom and dad are always buying stuff for me, instruments, notebooks, paying for my lessons… what if I choose not to be a musician? They'll be so mad! All those things they did for me would go to waste!

And what if I do choose to be a musician…? I'll miss out on doing all the other things I want to do. And if my music won't be good enough? That'll be even more of a waste!"

The girl slumped, thinking over her dilemma now that it was brought up, "Hey," she called to Izuku after a moment, "What do you think, Midoriya-san?"

There was only silence.

"Midoriya-san?" She tried again, lifting her head to see the boy.

He was still standing in front of her, but his focus appeared to be aimed at something else. He looked into the grove that surrounded the clearing with a blank face, his eyes not even blinking.

Jirou gained a tick mark on her forehead, "Hey! Did you even listen to me?!" She yelled at him, her voice laced with anger, irritation, and a hint of sorrow.

The boy remained unresponsive.

That was when she began to worry, "Midoriya-san?" She asked again, her scowl weakening, "Are you okay?" She got up and made her way to him, a concerned frown on her face.

It was then when she saw it. The boy's eyes were unfocused and dull, his mouth slightly agape. The kid was frozen, as if in a trance, apparently completely deaf and blind to his surroundings.

Mimi and Chima watched their entranced owner with concern and fear, wary for the boy.

 _'It happened again!'_ Jirou's eyes widened, remembering the earlier incident in science class. She raised both her jacks in the air, prepared to snap him out of it once more.

But, before she got the chance, the boy moved.

"Wha-?" The girl gasped, "Where are you going?"

Izuku walked towards the clearing's edge like a zombie, sans the raised hands. His eyes remained unfocused as he walked, not even sparing a glance at his friends whom he left behind.

Those same friends watched the kid walk away, their expressions frozen and dumbfounded. "Q-quick!" Jirou called, having been refocused on the situation, "Something happened to him! We can't lose him!"

Both Chima and Mimi sputtered for a moment but quickly shook it off. The giant beast soon got up, a concerned Mimi still on his head. All three ran after the boy, who by this point had already entered the woods, his body scraping against sharp branches without care.

Unfortunately, the thick fauna prevented Chima from catching up, his large body needing to find spaces to crawl through without tearing the forest apart. As a result, both Jirou and Mimi had to leave him behind, not wanting to lose Izuku.

As the now duo ran, they noticed that a thin fog began to coalesce around their feet, slowly but surely beginning to gain volume and density. _'Great! That's just what we needed, FOG!'_ Jirou grumbled, her friend's retreating body already beginning to get covered by it.

"MIDORIYA!" Jirou called out loud, hoping to get to the boy somehow, "MIDORIYA! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Her prayer fell on deaf ears. Izuku only gained more and more distance from them; the fog only grew thicker and thicker. And she was probably imagining it, but Jirou could swear she began to feel a foreign force pushing her away from the boy as if wanting him only and no one else. It seemed every branch of every tree had hit her as she passed by, her feet felt heavy and the fog made it hard for her to breathe.

In contrast, Izuku seemed to have no trouble walking through the shrubbery at all. His steps were light, his breathing soft, and the plant-life that surrounded him seemingly cleared him a path, like a servant would do for their king.

At this point, the fog grew so thick she could barely see. Her friend's body was now only a faint silhouette in the distance, growing only smaller and fainter with every second.

And soon, not even that remained.

The boy was swallowed by the fog.

"MIDORIYA!"

* * *

A gentle wind caressed Izuku's cheeks when he began to come to.

The boy was laying on his back, his eyes closed, and his mind a bit groggy. _'Wha… where am I?'_ He asked himself, still too fuzzy to open his eyes. He figured he was outside, judging by the wind and the fact he felt something soft (grass, maybe?) brush against his bare calves and arm.

But that didn't make any sense. It was winter, he shouldn't feel this warm outside, especially when he didn't even wear his coat.

That's another thing. He explicitly remembers wearing winter clothes today: his red sneakers and his All Might coat to boot. Instead, he was dressed in his usual summer wear: A T-shirt, shorts, his compression sleeve, and he was barefoot.

Definitely his favorite get-up, but not something he would wear in December.

 _'What was I doing?'_ the boy tried to recall what had happened, _'I think… I was at the park… with Jirou-san and everyone… and then…'_ Izuku scrunched up his nose _'...nothing…'_

The boy rolled over, opening half-lidded eyes to at least get a glimpse of an idea of where he was.

Only to have his eyes snap wide the moment he realized what he was looking at.

To call where he was a meadow would be like calling Chima a Badger. Technically true, but nowhere near apt enough to convey how outlandish it really was.

What the boy thought to be just tall grass turned out to be flowers; they were the most beautiful he had ever seen. The stem was bright pink in color, and the petals were thin and in a gentle turquoise. They littered the entire meadow, sometimes replaced by large, leafless, thick-stemmed trees. The boy peered further into the distance, noticing that the entire field was bordered by ridges of glaciers. They were jugged and steep by nature, appearing like rows upon rows of glistering teeth made of sparkling ice.

The skies were the deepest shade of blue Izuku had ever seen, darker than the ocean floor itself. _"Am I still on Earth?"_ He couldn't help but wonder as he gazed upwards, watching as indigo clouds wafted in the air, moving slowly in the gentle winds.

Behind him, a feminine voice chuckled, "Wow. You sure catch on quick!"

Izuku yelped in surprise, startled by the sudden appearance, _'Where did she come from?!'_ The boy asked himself as he turned around, _'I didn't even sense her!'_

The boy turned around fully, now for the first time seeing the woman who had sneaked upon him.

And on that moment, something inside him clicked so hard it was audible.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, her brown skin smooth and without any wrinkles. Dark brown hair framed her face in a short bob, flapping in the gentle breeze. Most of her outfit was a beautiful blue, matching perfectly with the sky; a sleeveless tunic, baggy pants, and armpit-length gloves. Brown flat winter buckle boots covered her feet, planted firmly into the flower-covered ground.

Izuku was almost sure he had never met this woman in his entire life. And yet, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he knew her. She was just so familiar to him, on a level that might even surpass his familiarity with his own parents.

He stood there, staring dumbfounded at the woman, not understanding at all how this was all possible.

The woman, on her part, didn't say a word. She merely looked down at him with her arms crossed and a fond smile on her face, her cyan eyes sparkling as if she expected him to say the first word.

And, true to her expectations, the boy did. A single word came out of his mouth, one he didn't remember but somehow never forgot.

"Korra…"

* * *

**Jirou Kyoka**

**Quirk:** **Earphone jack**

**Description: Kyoka has a pair of headphone jacks hanging from her earlobes. When the plugs are connected to something, she can channel her heartbeat into the jacks, creating a vibration attack. In addition, she has enhanced hearing allowing her to pick up minuscule sounds and vibrations from her vicinity.**

**It is important to notice that she perceives those vibrations through her hearing in contrast to Chima and Izuku who perceive it through Earthbending.**

**Appearance: Kyoka is a short girl of a petite build. Her dark purple hair is on the shorter sides, reaching her chin in only a few places like the back of her jawbone. She often hides her purple eyes behind her fringe, not liking to make eye contact.**

**Affiliation: Aldera Elementary school student.**

**Age: 8.**

**Birthday: August 1st.**

**Height: 122.4 cm.**

**Favorite food: Dango.**

**Favorite thing: Rock music.**

**Tidbit:**

**Thanks to her friendship with Izuku, her weirdness-tolerance went way up.**

**She is Izuku's only friend at school as well as the only person who won't bat an eye whenever he causes chaos with his presence.**

* * *

Korra's smile widened upon hearing the boy say her name, nodding her head in approval. "Hello, Izuku. It is good to see you," She spoke to him as if she had known him her whole life, her voice mellow and calm.

Izuku, on the other hand, was anything but.

The poor boy was rooted in place, shaking like a leaf. His pupils were shriveled as he gaped at her, rumbling about questions at a rapid speed, "Where-am-I-?-How-did-I-get-here-?-Where-are-my-friends-?-How-do-you-know-my-name-?-How-do-I-know-YOUR-name-?-I've-never-met-you-before-in-my-life-!-…" Izuku stuttered out in a panic, reverting into the old Midoriya habit of mumbling.

Korra gave the hysterical boy a sympathetic look, _'I guess he is in quite a shock…'_.

She crouched down next to the freaked-out Izuku, gently giving his shoulder a reassuring pat. "I know that you are scared, but you don't need to be." Korra started talking after he stopped muttering, though he still looked alarmed, " You are in no danger, I simply wish to speak with you."

The woman then sat down on the flowers next to him, "Would you sit with me?" She asked, gesturing to the space next to her, "I'll also answer your questions for you if you wish."

Izuku took a deep breath to quell his nerves, but his face still showed hints of hesitation. To be truthful he had no idea if obliging to the request was a smart idea, seeing as she was a stranger and all.

But, some instinct inside of him just told him it was okay, a sort of resonating recognition that left his heart pumping in weird a mix of excitement and relief. He only ever remembers feeling like this once before, the day he met Chima.

Following that instinct was probably the best decision he ever made in his life, so he reasoned doing that again was not a bad idea, either.

The boy sat down next to Korra, flopping down onto the soft flowers, and sending a few of their petals into the air.

Korra was the first to speak, "Well then, what is it you want to know first?"

Izuku brought a hand to his chin in thought. _'There's so much I want to ask…'_ an absurd number of questions floated in his mind, banging against his skull and demanding to be answered. He felt like he knew nothing about the situation, and the foreignness of it all was putting him on edge. He wanted to know everything, and to that end, he needed to start at the beginning.

"Where am I?" He finally asked, gesturing with his hands to the meadow that surrounded them.

"So you chose to start with the easy questions?" Korra chuckled, staring into the ultramarine sky, "As you have already guessed when you got here, you are no longer in the Physical World. You are in the Spirit World."

Izuku was lost, "The Spirit World?" he tilted his head in confusion, not the slightest bit familiar with the term, "What is that?"

A disappointed frown appeared briefly on Korra's face as if reminded of a bitter fact, "It's not surprising you never heard of it." The woman sighed, _'Though it is unfortunate.'_

Korra began explaining, "To put it simply, the Spirit World is a different realm that exists together with the one you know. They are both separate worlds, but they are also connected to each other. That's why your soul can travel here." She looked at the boy, seeing that he held his chin as he processed her explanation.

The boy looked around at the alien view. Though it was still hard to believe he was in another world, there was also no way something like this meadow was on Earth; never mind the flowers, the freaking clouds were blue!

"Okay…" Izuku began, "I think I understand… but what did you mean when you said my **soul** can travel here? Izuku asked, not understanding her words.

Korra nodded, "That is because your physical body is not here, only your soul is. Your real body is still in the Physical World."

"WHA?!" Izuku jolted when he heard that, coming to a premature conclusion. The boy jumped to his feet, almost immediately losing his balance in a panicked fumble, and falling back to the ground, "DOES THAT MEAN I'M DEAD?!" He yelled out loud, horrified beyond comprehension, _'If mom finds out I'm dead she'll **kill** me!'_

The Izuku dismay, Korra had the **audacity** to laugh in his face, letting out soft chuckles of amusement. "No, you are fine." She said in reassurance after she was done laughing, "Your soul is only out of your body temporarily. Once you return to the Physical World, you will return to your body as if nothing has happened."

"Oh," Izuku said with flushed cheeks.

"Moving on, you got any more questions?" Korra asked, "I did say I would answer them. But I still need to talk to you about something else, so I can only answer one more for now."

Izuku nodded, wondering what it is she wants to speak to him about. But before that, he still had one more question he could ask, and his curiosity was not yet satisfied, "Yes, I still have one. How did I get here?" Izuku said before clarifying, "I mean, how did my soul leave my body and come here? Is it going to be a regular thing or something from now on? A result of a quirk, maybe?"

Korra smiled, "That question actually leads me to what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, I am the one who brought you here. I called you because I wanted to speak to you."

Izuku stared at Korra, "You're the one who brought me here?" Suddenly a spark began to twinkle in the boy's eyes, "How did you do that? Was that your quirk? What-am-I-talking-about-of-course-that-was-your-quirk-what-else-could-it-be-but-still-that-kind-of-quirk-is-completely-unheard-of-a-quirk-that-can-allow-travel-between-dimensions-is-", the greenette began to run his mouth in an endless mutter again.

 _'He's certainly a type…'_ Korra sweatdropped at the second mumble storm she was subjected to from the boy.

"Izuku," Korra called, shaking the boy's shoulder.

Izuku cut himself off abruptly, a sheepish smile on his face, "Sorry, I rambled again."

The woman sighed, "Listen, I know you have more questions, but our time together is limited, and I still need to speak with you. It is very important." Korra told him, a serious tone accompanying her words and her smile disappearing.

A disappointed frown appeared on the boy's face. There was still so much he wanted to know, so much he wanted to ask. But Korra's tone left no room for argument, his questions will have to wait. Reluctantly, Izuku held his tongue back and nodded to the woman, telling her she can start.

Korra gave the boy a gentle nod to thank him for his understanding before she began, "The reason I called you here is that I needed to tell you something important. Under normal circumstances, you would have already known this, or at least have someone close to you who knew. But, unfortunately, we do not have that luxury."

Izuku raised a curious brow, _'I would've known what under normal circumstances?'_

As if she read his mind, Korra took a deep breath, hoping she was not being too blunt, "To put it as straightforward as possible, I called you here to tell you that you are the Avatar, as well as to tell you that you need to begin your training."

Izuku just stared at the woman with a blank expression.

"Huh?" the boy didn't understand a word, "Avatar? What is that?". _'Avatar'_ the word echoed in his mind, bringing with it a weird sense of comfort that he couldn't describe or explain.

Korra sighed in disappointment at the reaction, reminiscing on a time that was now long past _'It really has been a long time, has it not? No one even remembers us anymore…'_ She thought to herself bitterly, a self-deprecating hint in that brief contemplation.

From the corner of her eye, she could still see Izuku stare at her in bewilderment, silently asking for clarification. She had no choice but to explain, "The Avatar is the title given to the person, in this case, you, who is tasked with keeping peace and balance in the world and restore it should it ever be broken. No matter what the imbalance is: the destruction of nature, war and conflict between nations, or the persecution of a people; the Avatar must stand against it. No matter what."

Izuku's mouth felt like it was glued shut with industrial glue. Not that it mattered much since he couldn't even come up with words, only spluttered rasps.

Despite the boy's visible discomfort, Korra continued like nothing was happening, "The balance is kept with the Avatar's power over the four basic elements: fire, air, water, and earth. So far, you got a decent grasp on earth, but you need to start learning the other elements. That's why I contacted you, you must begin to prepare to fulfill this role, understand?"

Izuku did not understand, not one bit.

"Y-y-you're j-joc-cking, -right?" He stuttered out in a shaky voice as if he struggled to bring the words out.

Never mind for a second the absolute absurdity that a person like the Avatar can even **exist**! How on Earth did she think that person was **him**?!

How could **he** , the infamous Disaster-Deku, could possibly be this great hero the Avatar was supposed to be? There wasn't a week he didn't break something at school or at home. There was not a day he didn't burst into tears. There wasn't a sentence he could finish without stuttering!

None of that sounded like what the Avatar was supposed to be. It didn't even sound like something a hero should be. Heroes don't break stuff; they don't cry nor do they stutter. They bring people hope, they smile no matter what happens, and they always save the day.

Heroes don't fail.

Heroes would've saved Anakoro and Koguma.

The Avatar would.

"Y-you c-can't be right!" Izuku stammered, denying her claim, "I can't be this Avatar! There's no way! I don't even have power on all the elements like you said, all I have is an earth-controlling quirk!" He tried to rebut her declaration, sputtering out the first excuse he came up with. And yet, while his mind said one thing, his entire body said another. He hated how Korra's explanation resonated with him. It was just so familiar, like a book he read countless times a long time ago and now he gets to read it again.

Korra didn't show a visible sign that she was fazed by the boy's outburst, though she couldn't help but compare the boy's reaction to hers, _'In the end, we are different people…'_

"Calm down, Izuku." She said as she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, a trick that seemed to work so far.

The boy closed his mouth, stopping the endless stream of denials, though he still appeared upset.

"Though you might not believe it yourself, I am certain you are the Avatar." Korra said, her voice sure and confident, "I would not have been able to call you here otherwise."

Izuku shook his head. He really didn't want to believe it, he wanted to tell himself she was lying to him and none of that was true.

But unfortunately, his mind just wouldn't let him. It was like everything that woman said was immediately accepted as fact by his subconscious and it was driving him mad. A war was raging between his consciousness and his unconsciousness, each arguing a different thing, and try as he might, he had to accept it was a losing battle.

"Fine!" he relented, his consciousness accepting defeat, "Let's say I'm this 'Avatar', what should I do? You said I needed to start preparing for it, but how am I supposed to do that?"

The progress was marginal, but it was something at least, "For now, just focus on learning the other elements. It is a lengthy process, but also the easiest part of being the Avatar, it should keep you occupied for a while." Korra told him.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" The boy questioned, "I only have my earth quirk."

"First off, your powers are not a quirk. They are… something else." Korra explained curtly, for they did not have the time to explain it fully. Instead, she continued talking, not letting the now baffled Izuku chime in yet, "Secondly, you already have the power to control the other elements, you just need to be taught how."

"Wait what do you mean my powers aren't a qui-" Izuku began, wanting an answer before he cut himself off with a startled gasp. The boy choked on air when his stomach dropped in what felt like a free fall. His body flickered for a moment, becoming transparent before solidifying again.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" He yowled in a panic, clutching the pink flowers as if they would root him in place and keep him safe.

Korra grimaced, "We are running out of time. Soon the solstice will end, and you will return to your body."

"What?!" Izuku frowned, "But I still have so many questions!"

Korra shook her head, before looking at the boy straight in the eyes, "I'm sorry Izuku, but we don't have much time, so listen carefully."

Her tone left no room for arguments, much to the boy's charging.

Izuku felt like he had no choice but to nod his head, remaining silent.

"Good." Korra stated in approval, "Now listen closely, the next element you need to learn is fire. Unfortunately, I can not teach you myself because I can only talk to you in the solstice, for now. Instead, you will be taught by someone else. He is a friend of mine, an ancient spirit who helped me out before when I needed help. Now, he will help you."

The boy's body flickered in the air again, now remaining transparent for longer. He screamed in fright as the uncomfortable feeling returned, now more intense.

"We are out of time." Korra sighed, relieved she conveyed what she had to, "You will meet your teacher soon, Izuku, good luck."

Izuku's body slowly began to fade again, and with it, the grasp he had on the Spirit World. "Wait!" He called, semi-transparent and extending his hand as if to catch something.

There was still so much he wanted to ask, so much he wanted to know. Like, what were really his powers if they were not a quirk? Why can she only talk to him in the solstice? Who was his teacher going to be? What are those spirits she mentioned his teacher to be one of? Was she 100 percent sure he was this Avatar person? Did she truly think he was even worthy to be the Avatar?

He only had time for one more question, and despite all of those other questions burning inside of him, aching to be answered, he found himself asking a totally different one.

"Will I ever see you again?!"

Korra smiled at the fading kid, "Of course," she nodded, "We'll meet again. After all, I am a part of you."

And so, with one more question added to his list, Izuku was plunged out of the Spirit World.

* * *

"Midoriya-kun! Hey, Midoriya-kun! Wake up!" A familiar voice ringed in Izuku's ears, followed by the sensation of someone rocking his shoulders back and forth.

And then, someone slapped him.

"Wh-wha?" He murmured in a sleepy voice, slowly blinking his eye open and bringing a hand to caress his stinging cheek.

He was in the park again. Above him, through the filters of leaves, the sky was a purplish-blue color, a sign of dusk.

He brought himself to a sitting position, looking around himself. He spotted Jirou, Mimi, and Chima all crouched around him, looking at him with worry.

"A-are you okay, Midoriya-kun?" Jirou asked him, her voice a bit shaky "What happened to you?"

The boy's hand drifted from his cheek to his head once he registered the latter was hurting more, _'What was that? A dream? Or was it real?'_

Finally, he spoke, his voice subdued, "I… don't know…"

* * *

The early morning sun shined faintly on the city of Musutafu, obstructed by some grey clouds. In the streets, pedestrians were walking about minding their own business, each doing their own thing.

Amongst them all was one Midoriya Izuku who was on his way to school. The boy stifled a loud yawn with his hand as he walked, his bagged eyes scrunching with a bit of moisture escaping between the eyelids. Right now, he was busy dragging his feet on the cold sidewalks, not paying much attention to his fellow pedestrians.

Izuku felt out of it since yesterday, more specifically the incident in the park.

Ever since he collapsed at the park and had that weird dream, something at the back of his mind just kept nagging at him nonstop.

It was that dream. It just kept on playing in repeat in his head, not ever stopping or letting him focus on anything else.

He couldn't even sleep last night because of it.

It just didn't make sense! It was just a dream, a hallucination he experienced, and just that, a fixture of his imagination. It meant nothing.

 _'So why do I remember it so vividly?'_ He couldn't help but ask himself. After all, he had forgotten most of his dreams after only a few hours.

A part of his mind told him that's because that wasn't a dream. It really happened.

He promptly shut that piece of his mind up, telling himself once more that it was just a dream and nothing more.

He knew he didn't believe that.

Izuku took in a deep breath and closed his eyes as he rounded a corner, shaking his head. _'You have other things to do, Izuku.'_ He told himself, trying to use it as an incentive to get his mind off that dream.

First off, he needed to get to school. It wouldn't paint a pretty picture to be late on the last day before winter break.

The boy opened his eyes, prepared to continue on his way…

…Only to see that he was about to tackle a large man wearing blue clothing. "Gah!" The boy yelped, shielding his face with his arms, his feet scrambling on the ground in a fruitless effort to stop the collision.

But it never came.

"Huh?" Izuku fell to the ground after a few seconds of feeling nothing, done in by two left feet. He opened his eyes while messaging his hurt knees, seeing for himself that the man wearing blue was no longer in front of him.

Though a couple of pedestrians did look at him funny.

The greenette turned his head around; his face scrunched up in confusion as he found the man wearing blue, still standing where the two should've collided as if the boy went **through** him.

From his vantage point on the floor, the boy couldn't quite make up the man's face. Izuku could, however, spot almost immediately that the man in front of him was wearing quite the elegant clothes. His attire consisted of navy shoes and a dark blue robe that reached his ankles and was tied around his wide waist with a belt. The robe was rather ornate even, with darker blue going down diagonally at the front while lighter shades ran down vertically as well as around the sleeves, which were also decorated with added details.

The boy immediately scrambled to his feet in a rush, his cheeks red and flustered, "I'm so sorry!" Izuku bowed in a small panic, "I wasn't looking where I was going!"

The man, unlike the boy's expectations, didn't appear to be mad. "Thank the great spirits I found you," He said in a gentle voice, his smile practically conveyed in it, "I was beginning to fear I got the wrong location from Korra."

Upon the mention of that name, Izuku jolted back from his bow like a spring. "Di-did you just say… K-Korra?" He asked in a chocked voice, almost unbelieving.

It was at that moment he finally looked up high enough to see the man's face, noticing for the first time that the man in front of him wasn't just wearing blue, he **was** blue!

From head to toe, blue was the man's only color. From his skin to his clothing, everything was colored a gentle azure and maya.

A tang of familiarly went through Izuku's chest as he studied the man. It wasn't as strong as the one he felt when he met Korra, but it was still there.

His face was wrinkled, mostly covered by a long and pale beard that covered his cheeks and chin, but a gentle smile and kind eye were able to draw in most of the attention. Despite the fact the top of the man's head was bald, long and white tufts dangled from his nape and reached his back, practically the envy of every man in his advanced age.

"Hello, young Avatar." The man smiled down at Izuku, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Iroh."

* * *

**Chapter end**

**To be continued on chapter 2:**

**SOURCE OF FIRE**

**Author's Note:**

> [1] - Wakame: A type of kelp. It's native to rather cold waters and is also quite similar in appearance to seaweed from the water tribes. Though it doesn't have as many uses as Avatar-seaweed in real life. For the sake of the story, Wakame is the same thing as water tribe seaweed.


End file.
